Power centers in the form of an exterior enclosure containing an electric power meter superjacent a power receptacles enclosure are commonly-used at temporary construction sites to supply electric power and to insure that the power is metered. In the past, most electric power to the sites was supplied by overhead utility power cables which required the meter to be installed on the top part of the enclosure. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,716,762 and 4,025,825 describe such enclosures.
The advent of the large number of underground utility cables to such construction sites has resulted in the use of a separate meter assembly connecting with the underground service cables and a separate power receptacles enclosure connected with the separate meter assembly. State and local electrical codes prohibit the incoming utility cables to be bent in a reverse direction as required with the use of earlier power centers. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/188,973 filed Jan. 31, 1994 entitled "Temporary Power Center for Construction Site" describes a power center that is adapted for connection with underground utility cables.
Since new construction sites are currently provided with either overhead utility cables or underground utility cables, it would be economically feasible to provide a single power center design that is connectable with both overhead as well as underground utility cables without requiring modification either at the point of manufacture or at the assembly site.
One purpose of the invention is to provide a single power center unit that is capable of being electrically connected with either overhead or underground utility power cables with little or no modification.